AUSTIN, TEXAS – Gustavus Adolphus track and field throwing specialist Elizabeth Weiers (Sr., Le Center, Minn.) has been named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-America Division III Track & Field/Cross Country First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
“Our entire program is incredibly proud of Liz and her numerous achievements since she joined our program four years ago,” said head cross country coach Dale Bahr. “Liz is an individual who leads by example in the classroom and on the track with a work ethic that just won’t quit. Having the opportunity to coach her has been nothing but a privilege.”
This season, Weiers solidified her place as one of the track and field program’s most decorated hammer throwers with a second consecutive gold medal performance at the MIAC Championships by successfully defending her 2014 title with a winning toss of 168-feet 9-inches. The two-time conference champion and three-time all-conference honoree in the hammer throw is Gustavus’ first MIAC Champion in the hammer throw since Tona Schmidtke ’04 captured the title in 2001. Weiers is also the program’s first three-time All-Conference performer in the hammer throw since Kirstin Olinger ’96 and Jen Mull ’97 accomplished that feat in the mid-1990s. Not since Mull did it in 1995 and 1997 and Olinger in 1994 and 1996 has a Gustavus hammer thrower won an MIAC title twice. She also broke the school record in the hammer throw with a toss of 173-feet 11-inches recorded at the Minnesota State University, Mankato Twilight Meet on April 29.
Weiers then went on to record an 11th-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Championships in Canton, New York, her second consecutive appearance on the national stage. At the 2014 NCAA Championships Weiers took home All-America Honorable Mention honors with a 13th place finish after posting a toss of 165-feet.
Weiers, an English major, also separated herself in the academic sphere with a perfect 4.0 GPA. The Le Center, Minnesota native was named the winner of the Evelyn Young Award, which is presented to the female senior student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA. She also earned Academic All-Conference honors six times, is a two-time recipient of the MIAC’s Elite 22 Award (MIAC Outdoor Championships), and earned the NCAA’s Elite 89 Award at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season.
“Having a student-athlete like Liz on the team is everything a coach can hope for,” said Bahr. “She prioritized her schoolwork and obviously still competed at a very high level. We were fortunate to have her example to follow for four years. She’ll be greatly missed, but I’m excited to see where she will succeed next.”
Among the 17 individuals selected to the first team, 10 recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA and helped the team average an average GPA of 3.87.